


when you're high i'll take the lows

by peterneds



Series: fictober '19 [11]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Dialogue Heavy, Family Issues, Fictober 2019, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-17 09:41:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21052289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peterneds/pseuds/peterneds
Summary: Peter sits down next to him and takes his hand. "Fuck him.""Yeah. Fuck him," Ned agrees, but there's less fire than there was a second ago."Ned?" Peter asks softly.Ned looks up at him with tears in his eyes."Oh," he says./title from 'grow as we go' by ben platt





	when you're high i'll take the lows

**Author's Note:**

> written for the prompt: "You keep me warm."

"My power's out," Ned says as soon as Peter picks up the phone. 

"Well, hello to you, too," Peter laughs. 

Ned pauses for a few seconds before he says, in a very fake-happy voice, "Hi, baby, how's your day, my power's out, I'm freezing my ass off, what about you?"

"Hi, honey, day's good, that sucks, I'm sorry, come over?"

"Okay," Ned says thankfully. 

Peter walks out into the apartment let May know that Ned's coming over when he stops. "Hey, what's your mom gonna do?"

The silence he's met with is suspicious, to say the least.

"Oh..." Ned says. "She's gonna go to my... aunt's, have I ever told you about her? She's great, lives like 20 minutes away, such a good time." 

"Are you lying to me?" Peter asks. 

"No," Ned says immediately. 

"I feel like you're lying to me." 

"When have I ever lied to you and why would I lie about a power outage?" 

"Ned," Peter deadpans. "You live down the block from me and my power is working just fine." 

_Well, shit_. Ned hadn't thought that far ahead. 

"Uh, I'll explain it when I get there? You don't hate me for lying?"

"I don't hate you for lying," Peter says truthfully. "Just hurry up and get over here and grab me something on the way, okay? Love you." 

"Sorry for lying," Ned says sheepishly. "I love you."

"Love you," Peter repeats before he hangs up the phone. 

May joins him in the hallway before he can find her first. "What was all that about?"

"Ned's coming over because something happened, what I don't know, but he tried to play it off like his power was out, when..." Peter gestures to the light fixture above their heads. 

"Ah," May nods. "What are we thinking? Category... six, seven maybe?"

Peter shakes his head. "No, he didn't sound that upset. I'm thinking maybe a 4.5, five at most."

"Well, you prepare for that accordingly," May says, turning to drop a kiss on Peter's cheek. "I gotta get to bed. Love you, kiddo!"

Peter kisses her cheek in return. "Love you, May! Goodnight." 

* * *

Ned knocks at his door three times in quick succession, and Peter begins to doubt his prediction. 

"Hi," he says as he opens the door and takes his appearance in. Comfort hoodie, comfort sweatpants, comfort even down to the socks. "What's wrong?"

Ned doesn't respond, just walks in, closes the door behind him, before he hugs Peter wordlessly. Peter holds him even though he's confused, even though he's worried about how bad this could have gotten within twenty minutes. 

"Wanna talk?" He suggests softly. 

Ned shakes his head. 

"Okay," Peter says. "What about bed?"

Ned nods and that's all Peter needs to see before he picks him up and carries him to his bedroom, webbing the door shut gently before he lays Ned down. 

"My dad called," Ned says after a few minutes of silence. 

_"What?" _Peter exclaims. Ned's dad hasn't called him or his mother since before they started middle school. 

"Yeah. Well, he didn't call me, he called my mom. Just... started asking about how things were like it was normal. Like he's made any effort for the past sixteen fucking years of my life," Ned spits. 

Peter sits down next to him and takes his hand. "Fuck him."

"Yeah. Fuck him," Ned agrees, but there's less fire than there was a second ago. 

"Ned?" Peter asks softly. 

Ned looks up at him with tears in his eyes. 

"Oh," he says and he's moving to lay back against the pillows and he doesn't have to say anything before Ned is in his arms. "Hey, it's okay. It's okay. I'm sorry, honey, I'm so sorry."

"I just -" Ned manages before another sob hits him. "I'm not even sad, I'm just so angry and I don't know why it's making me cry so much."

Peter understands. That particular feeling comes out in several, confusing ways. "It's okay, Ned. You can cry if you need to."

"I don't want to."

"You wanna stop?" Peter asks and Ned nods his head yes. 

Peter reaches for his phone and opens his camera roll to his last viewed photo and shows it to Ned. 

"Oh my god, that's _disgusting_, Peter!"

Peter laughs. "Gotcha to stop, though."

"Yeah," Ned says. "Hold me?"

"Of course," Peter says even though he's already holding Ned. He holds him tighter, though, for what it's worth. 

They stay like that for a while before Peter starts to get tired and he asks, "You wanna change into PJs?"

Ned mumbles something incoherent. Peter lifts him as gently as he can and strips off the sweater, at least. He doesn't want the poor boy to overheat. 

"My power didn't go out," Ned says into the skin of Peter's neck once they've settled beneath the covers. 

Peter chuckles softly. "I know."

"I was so cold, though and - then my brain thought of you and I thought hey! I know who to call. 'Cause you keep me warm."

"You gotta go to _bed, _sweet thing," Peter says through his smile. 

Ned yawns like he'd planned it. "'Kay," he murmurs. "Love you."

"Love you more," Peter says and kisses his forehead before he's out for the count. 

**Author's Note:**

> day 11. why did it take me a whole half hour to write such garbage. anyway. hope you enjoyed. part two of the stevebucky stuff should be up tomorrow sorry it's taking me so long and also that i'm so behind on fictober i'm trying my best 
> 
> i love prompts and feedback they feed my soul! here's where u can find more of me:  
hcllnd on twit & tumblr  
ree182 on spotify for interwebs playlist


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